Gerald Crayford’s murder and the duplicity of despair

“I knew that Gerald Crayford was a hero before his wife, children and other family members read their victim impact statements to me. From the preliminary inquiry evidence I learned that he struggled to stop a man armed with an axe from robbing him and his employer. Then the victim impact statements arrived and they gave me a character sketch of what a hero he was in other ways. But what stood out as I listened to some of the words being read was that I was hearing from angry people yet they were in anguish over the fact that they were so angry. Their anger gave them neither consolation nor respite and undoubtedly none relished the opportunity to ventilate anger in the courtroom. Their participation was an important component of the solemnity of the sentencing hearing.” Judge Rocky Pollack

Maybe it’s just the first anniversary of my dear Dad’s death tomorrow affecting my brain’s beta waves, but having to hear today the sniffles and sobs of people related to a teen who brutally murdered an innocent man for really, no reason, as he was sentenced to ‘life’ in prison really irked me.

Now, my (possibly faulty) assumption is their tears weren’t being shed for the victim, Gerald Crayford, 54, but instead for their young relative in the prisoner’s dock — someone they went so far as to help try and destroy evidence of his hideous conduct after he did it.

“At some point before he was arrested, his sister, mother, grandmother and a friend helped D.V.J.S. hide the axe. It was recovered by police when the friend decided to notify them.” — Pollack, decision on adult sentence

(I’d still love to know why nobody was charged with obstruction or aiding and abetting, but I won’t expect any answer.)

At least that’s what the timing of the tears in court today suggested to me.

The pitiful sniffles started just after the prosecutor outlined today — once again — the aggravating factors of this absolutely horrific murder of an innocent.

And then they ramped up once again (morphing into sobs), later in the day, as Judge Rocky Pollack passed down the harshest available sentence he was able to.

A video was made after the robbery “acting out” the crime and comments about how it “felt cool” to kill someone

On the other side of shabby courtroom 404 sat some of Crayford’s family and friends, along with a handful of city homicide cops who wanted to see this one through.

I’ve come to learn over the years this doesn’t always happen. It was gratifying to see the officers there.

Not a single cry or sniffle or sob could be heard from that side of the room.

They instead sat silently, washed over with that sheen of mute blankness and silent resignation I’ve seen infect so many bereft families and friends of crime victims.

Maybe it’s the fatigue from the court process — likely something none of them were familiar with or ever wanted to be. Maybe I’m totally misreading it.

But on the other side — the side of the killer — they likely had to be somewhat in the know of how the system works, given how the offender — the murderer — was on ‘supervised’ probation stemming from a knifepoint robbery of a separate store at the time he bludgeoned poor Gerry Crayford to death inside that nondescript little Pizza Hotline shop a few years back.

I’m not upset at the sentence. It is what it is.

I’m not upset with the lawyers, who performed and acted as professionally as they usually do. in such a serious matter.

I am upset that people who knowingly tried to shield a murderer from responsibility by attempting to destroy evidence had the temerity to show up in a court of law and weep for him; ostensibly weeping for what the system was ‘doing’ to him.

Judge Pollack was clear in his reasons today: the decision to hand this offender the max was directly influenced by what he saw on the store surveillance camera. The level of violence “sickened” him, he said.

It’s these things, combined with the senseless death of an innocent man who never did nothing to nobody is what truly sickens me.

Judge Pollack’s full decision on the case is here. It’s a worthwhile read.